Education Commons^™

Interprofessional Teamwork Through Remote Collaboration: A Mixed-Methods Approach, Sabina Kupershmidt, Tracy Cleveland, Mandy J. Williams, Whitney Lucas Molitor

Aesculapius Journal (Health Sciences & Medicine)

Introduction: Quality health care relies on effective, patient-centered teamwork. Interprofessional education and learning is one of the foundations of health education. These principles were challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to determine whether a collaborative, online learning activity would be experienced as interprofessional by learners from eight health professions.

Methods: A mixed-methods, cross-sectional cohort study with retrospective analysis of survey data was utilized. Two custom-designed exit surveys to assess team behaviors: one from the learners’, the second from the faculty observers’ perspective. A thematic analysis of two open-ended questions was completed.

Results: Nursing was the largest discipline (45 %) …

Examining The Benefits Of Adding Mindfulness-Based Programs In The Curriculum Of Undergraduate And Graduate Social Work Programs: A Review Of Literature, Sarah M. Dickerson

Honors Thesis

Undergraduate and graduate students are often enveloped in an array of stress and anxiety, and it is no surprise that undergraduate and graduate social work students are faced with high amounts of stress due to vicarious trauma as a result of exposure to via coursework and experiential learning. It also comes as no surprise that social work professionals are exposed to numerous stressors causing the burnout rate for social workers to be high. Mindfulness techniques are used in various cultures and religions around the world with the purpose of synching mind and body. Using mindfulness techniques, individuals can be fully …

Forming A Global Citizen: Personal Development Through Study Abroad, Anna L. Reiter

Honors Thesis

This literature review examines key benefits of studying abroad, while investigating which elements most contribute to students’ overall success. Current literature suggests that benefits of studying abroad include, but are not limited to, second language acquisition (SLA), identity formation, and intercultural competence. The degree of which each is improved depends on a multitude of variables. SLA improvement is explored via consideration of students’ baseline proficiency level, degree of receptivity of the host country, and length of the study abroad program. Students’ identity formation is explained through the three bases of identity: person, role, and group/social. Finally, intercultural competence in study …

Development Of A Conceptual Framework To Identify And Clarify The Concept Of Digital Skills In The Healthcare Sector, Kiriaki Anastasiou, David Smith

Aesculapius Journal (Health Sciences & Medicine)

The purpose of this paper is to define and identify the enduring attributes of digital skills within the healthcare sector, in order to enhance the understanding of the concept. Digital skills, which are at the core of the healthcare agenda, is a challenging concept to define and has been viewed from varying perspectives. Much of the healthcare literature that discusses digital skills relies upon conceptualisations which are borrowed from other scientific fields. In fact, the term of digital skills is in widespread use within the healthcare sector, but there hasn’t been an agreed definition or characteristics that could be used …

What Does The Current Research Say About Effective Strategies For Teaching Reading Fluency?, Talia E. Dewitte

Honors Thesis

Reading fluency, a person’s ability to read with speed, accuracy, and prosody, is one of the five major dimensions of reading instruction. Effective reading fluency instruction is crucial to the success of developing readers. The ability to read fluently directly impacts the ability to engage in other reading skills, as instruction with reading fluency is often integrated with skills such as reading comprehension and phonics. There are a plethora of evidence-based strategies for teaching reading instruction. While these strategies vary the delivery of instruction or materials needed, they all share a foundation of thorough research and continued efficacy in the …

The Complex Art Of Wearing Multiple Hats: A Case Study Analysis Of Dual-Role Administrators In Rural School Districts, Abi Van Regenmorter

Dissertations and Theses

Both superintendents and principals create a foundation for student achievement, school culture, and the vision of a school building or district. When combined, these two, distinct administrative roles become one unique position with less time and resources to fulfill individual job responsibilities. This comparative case study was designed to foster understanding of rural dual-role administrators’ roles, responsibilities, and experiences. A dual-role administrator was defined as an individual serving as a superintendent and principal simultaneously. By interviewing and observing two practitioners and reviewing public documents, this study developed an in-depth investigation of the cases. As a result of this study, there …

A Phenomenological Study Of Flexible Blended Learning In A Fourth Grade Classroom, Betsy Kim Henn

Dissertations and Theses

This phenomenological study explored fourth-grade students' perspectives on the barriers and successes they experienced in flexible blended learning. Focus group interviews were conducted to gain insight into the students' motivation, perceived barriers, possible changes, and their own skills and characteristics for success. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes that addressed the research questions. Students identified several barriers to participation in flexible blended learning. Internal distractions, such as losing focus, and external distractions caused by disruptive behavior by classmates were barriers. Students found video lessons to be passive learning experiences that lacked flexibility. Technology problems and glitches were also identified …

May Usd Shine For A Thousand Years!, Srinivasan Ragothaman

Creative Work

This is a poem penned by the author on his retirement from USD service, after 32 years as a faculty member at the USD Beacom School of Business.

Teacher Retention: Perceptions Of Teachers And School Administration In Rural Schools In Nebraska, Andrew Offner

Dissertations and Theses

Teacher retention has become a major challenge for schools over the past several years. Rural school districts have become increasingly short on staff and are struggling to retain the staffs they have. The study had four purposes: (a) to determine teachers' perceptions of the factors leading to their retention, (b) to determine administrators' perceptions of the factors leading to teacher retention, (c) to determine differences in perceptions of teachers and administrators based on personal characteristics, and finally, (d), to determine the differences between teachers' and administrators' perceptions of factors retaining teachers in rural school districts. This quantitative study examined the …

Stories Of Midwest Higher Education Public Safety Administrators, The Clery Act, And Keeping Campuses Safe, Bryant Jackson

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this narrative inquiry qualitative analysis study is to examine the lived experiences of Midwest higher education public safety administrators regarding the Clery Act. Since 1990 when the Clery Act became law, higher education public safety administrators have been required to implement this law at their institutions. While research on the Clery Act has been limited, it is critical to examine the lived experiences of those tasked with its implementation and compliance. Three themes were identified when examining the lived experiences of the Midwest public safety administrators experiences with the Clery Act. The first theme explored overall impressions …

Promoting Well-Being Among Intercollegiate Student-Athletes: A Gratitude Intervention Using Positive Psychology, Laura Kruger

Dissertations and Theses

Intercollegiate student-athletes face rising stress and pressures which challenge their well-being and mental health, and sometimes with alarming concerns. Over the years, supportive services and resources specifically available to student-athletes have not evolved at the same pace as student-athlete needs. Also, barriers and stigmas hinder student-athletes from readily accessing supportive mental health services. The high stress of student-athletes can contribute to the development of negative mental health symptoms and impairs positive well-being. Evidence supports how outreach initiatives help student-athletes. Positive psychology, including gratitude as a positive psychological state, has shown benefits to well-being. This experimental study design researched if the …

Closing The Digital Divide: Understanding Organizational Approaches To Digital Accessibility In Higher Education, Angela Kae Jackson

Dissertations and Theses

Digital accessibility practices are becoming standardized in higher education as institutions seek to meet compliance with federal and state equal access laws. Students with disabilities have equal rights to access university programs and services in digital format. The widespread use of assistive technology, artificial intelligence, and content available in digital format brings forth ethical and legal concerns about equal access for individuals with disabilities. While broad approaches to digital accessibility in higher education are in the literature, there is a growing need for more studies to examine comprehensive approaches to digital accessibility across multiple units, disciplines, and the organization's hierarchy. …

Positive Behavior Intervention And Supports (Pbis): Improving Staff Buy-In With Pbis In A Rural District In The Midwest, Christena Schultz

Dissertations and Theses

Many schools have implemented School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to address student behavior and social-emotional issues. Historically, the implementation of PBIS has been most prominent at the elementary level; however, more secondary schools have implemented PBIS in the past few years. Staff buy-in of PBIS at the secondary level proved more challenging because of secondary school barriers. This improvement science study used qualitative research to explore what factors contributed to or hindered staff buy-in of PBIS and whether transformational leadership improved buy-in. Participants included seven staff at BEMHS. Qualitative data was derived from a focus group and themes …

From Mortars To Mortarboards: Military Veterans Transitioning From Active Duty To Higher Education, Joseph Alan Knoer

Dissertations and Theses

Following the events of September 11, 2001, Student Veterans have emerged as “one of the fastest-growing subpopulations of nontraditional college students” (Schiavone & Gentry, 2014, p. 29). Military veterans transition from active-duty service into higher education and civilian life facing a variety of new challenges and experiences they are unprepared for. The focus of this study was to understand issues veterans face when transitioning from active-duty military service into higher education. Using transition theory, zoom interviews were conducted containing a series of open-ended questions to allow the student-veterans to share their experiences and perceptions of what it means to be …

Micro Credentialing For Teachers: A Case Study In Personalized Professional Development, Brad John Berens

Dissertations and Theses

Professional development for teachers must evolve to provide a personalized approach to better meet the needs of the individual. Micro-credentialing is one way to provide teachers with personalized professional development. This case study explores the implementation of a micro-credentialing course in one school district. The district selected a company that provides micro-credential courses nationwide. The theoretical framework for the study is Andragogy, the theory of adult learning (Knowles, 1984). The objective of the study is to determine to what extent micro-credentialing meets the needs of teachers, and to what extent it is effective professional development. Data for this qualitative study …

Establishing A Sense Of Community While Meeting The Needs Of Online Adjunct Instructors, Melissa Weber

Dissertations and Theses

As online adjunct instructors continue to fill an instructional role and meet the needs of online learners, university leaders need to look for ways for professional development to increase online adjunct instructors’ sense of community and meet their diverse needs. The critical problem of this study recognized that online adjunct instructors have different needs than those of on campus faculty; these needs are not being met by traditional means currently used in university settings. Therefore, the overall goal of this qualitative phenomenological study sought to explore how university leaders could establish a sense of community while meeting the professional development …

Crossing The Goalline: Identifying The Success Of Black Football Players At A Predominantly White Institution, Mark Blackburn

Dissertations and Theses

The presence of Black football players in predominantly white institutions in athletic programs often highlights the racial disparities in college athletics. It is important to understand the dynamic discrepancies in the resources, support, and opportunities provided to Black football players to obtain success. This research examines the lived experiences of Black football players at a PWI located in the Midwest. Data was coded and analyzed into categories. There are six themes that emerged. 1. The attention to have academic focus. 2. The ability to maintain a connection and support from family and other important figures. 3. Constantly navigating microaggressions from …

Integrated Stem Learning Activity: Effect On Student Engagement And Learning, Leslie Deitrich Sauder

Dissertations and Theses

Student engagement in math and science courses decreases starting in middle school and continues throughout high school (Museus et al., 2011). This lack of engagement results in students taking only the required math and science coursework and not advanced coursework that would help prepare them for future careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning activities may be used to promote student engagement and learning. This experimental design study was conducted with students in grades 3-5 in one rural mid-sized school district in the upper mid-west. Student engagement was analyzed using a …

Reading Utopian Pedagogies: Discovering The Practical Here And Now Of Utopian Thinking, Carter Johnke

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis offers a way of reading texts for their utopian aims, a term I use to analyze utopian themes and ideas in a text while keeping the focus on practicality. Reading a text for its utopian aims discovers what a text hopes for but always reflects on how those hopes serve the here and now of the author and the reader. The idealistic conclusions of utopian thinking, the utopian visions, only play a role in the utopian aim. This project does not promote the ultimate or extreme ends of utopian visions; instead, it analyzes the educational effects of entertaining …

Attachment Network Structures And Adult Mental Health, Junnan Tian

Dissertations and Theses

Close relationships are essential to the mental health and adaptation of adults. The study of close relationships and mental health has concentrated on dyadic interactions in different types of relationships, such as parents, best friends, and romantic partners. Much less attention has focused on how a network of close relationships informs mental health. This study concentrated on a network of five close relationships in relation to adult mental health outcomes. Four network metrics, which are composition (who), strength (number of attachment figures), morphology (hierarchical or nonhierarchical), and physical proximity were examined as predictors of adult mental health outcomes (i.e., depression, …

Information Technology Security Concerns For University Workforce And Supporting Infrastructure During A Pandemic, Garrett Stevens

Dissertations and Theses

Faculty and staff working from home during the COVID pandemic were presented with new challenges in adapting to emergency remote teaching, as well as new and expanded cyber security threats. Changes to course delivery, remote access from public locations, and the potential of faculty and staff storing confidential educational records on university-issued devices, and potentially personally owned devices, made faculty and staff prime targets of malicious attackers. Information technology departments were challenged to support and secure the remote workforce from new cyber threats to protect their faculty, staff, and students from cyber-attacks. The focus of this study was to identify …

Student Privacy And Learning Analytics: Investigating The Application Of Privacy Within A Student Success Information System In Higher Education, Mary Francis

Dissertations and Theses

Learning analytics are starting to become standardized in higher education as institutions use the techniques of Big Data analytics to make decisions to help them reach their goals. The widespread use of student information brings forth ethical concerns primarily in relation to privacy. While the overarching ethical issues related to learning analytics are discussed in the literature, there has been a call for more studies to examine how they are put into practice. This case study used interviews and other data resources to determine how privacy is addressed within a student success information system at a public institution of higher …

Handwriting: A Qualitative Study Exploring Elementary Teachers’ Beliefs, Knowledge, Preparation, Practice And Influencing Factors In Handwriting Instruction, Lori Beth Fox

Dissertations and Theses

Handwriting instruction is often seen as less important in the curriculum, particularly due to pressures of passing high states assessments and the need to develop technology competencies, as technology in education and society has become commonplace. Current research shows that literacy skills are supported through the direct instruction of handwriting. Handwriting has also been associated with academic success, autoactivating the memory and processing portion of the brain, and is an important component in preparing the brain for phonics and reading acquisition. This has created a problem of a significant disconnect between research-based recommendations and current classroom practices in handwriting instruction. …

Teacher Retention: Retaining Teachers In High-Needs, Urban Secondary Schools In A Midwest State Post-Pandemic, Christopher Kenneth Schmit

Dissertations and Theses

Teacher retention has been a challenge for most schools for several years. High-needs schools have been known to have twice the trouble with teacher retention as schools not considered high-needs. The purpose of this study was to identify effective practices school principals can implement to retain teachers at high-needs, urban secondary schools. This quantitative study called on teachers from high-needs schools in Iowa to complete a survey identifying principal qualities related to retention, perceived reasons for teacher attrition, and reasons they continue to teach at their current school. Three hundred eighty-five teachers from five different Iowa school districts participated in …

Examining Elementary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy To Teach Engineering: The Impact Of Project Lead The Way Launch Professional Development, Branden Robert Hoefert

Dissertations and Theses

Today’s elementary teachers are expected to teach the engineering practices included in the National Research Council’s Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. Recent studies have indicated that teachers are less self-efficacious in teaching engineering than in other subject areas. Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a nonprofit organization that offers pre-K–12th grade curricula and teacher training focused on three pathways: engineering, computer science, and biomedical science. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PLTW transitioned its teacher trainings to a virtual modality. At the time of this study, most of PLTW’s teacher training remained virtual or hybrid. …

Disconnected, Frustrated And Withdrawn: Institutional Policy Implications For Equity In Student And Faculty Community, Jessica Marie Welsh

Dissertations and Theses

DFW rates at intuitions of higher education for students from underrepresented populations trended higher than majority students. A single explanatory case study provides insight to the factors impacting DFW rates in first-year gateway courses at a four-year, public, comprehensive institution. The study employed the use of focus groups of students, non-tenure-track faculty, and tenure-track faculty. In addition, institutional data was collected and used to triangulate to the data collected from focus groups. The inductive results showed multiple institutional barriers causing DFW rates among first-generation, Pell Grant, and/or students of color. Using Turner and Angulo’s (2018) theoretical framework of high-risk decision-making …

Factors Influencing Hard Running Distances In Ncaa Division I Female Soccer Players, Isaac A. Sam

Dissertations and Theses

As the total distances covered in soccer games have remained relatively constant, the hard running distances covered by players have shown varying changes due to the higher physical demands and dynamics of team running performances. Although factors affecting the total distances covered in a match are multifactorial, no study has specifically examined match performance indicators (MPI) that impact hard running distances (HRD). Consequently, the purpose of this study was to better understand how MPI (hard running efforts, turnovers, minutes played, duels won, duels lost, and pass completions) are associated with HRDs and to investigate how each variable contributes to HRDs …

The Effectiveness Of The Teaching Interaction Procedure For Young Children With Developmental Delay, Bailey Nicole Swain

Dissertations and Theses

Developmental Delay (DD) is an IDEA classification for young children who fail to meet developmental milestones at typical times. Young children with delays in social or emotional development may show deficits in social skills. Noting the importance of early intervention, identifying effective social skills interventions for children aged 3-5 is essential. Kopp et al. (1992) note the differences in social skills between preschoolers with DD and typically developing peers. This study investigated the effects of the Teaching Interaction Procedure on skill acquisition and generalization to a free play activity in the general education classroom.

Academic Freedom And Theological Commitments In Ats Accredited Institutions, Leon Miles

Dissertations and Theses

Academic freedom is an important principle in higher education. This is no less true for religious higher education than public higher education. There exists, however, a tension between academic freedom and theological commitments in religious higher education. This dissertation presents findings from a comparative case study between a church body sponsored seminary and an independent seminary. The purpose of this comparative case study was to investigate the policy development and implementation of academic freedom and theological commitments for institutions of religious higher education at two religious graduate schools accredited by ATS in North America. There is an inherent dynamic tension …

Induction And Mentoring Programs: Pathways To New Teacher Retention And Success, Valerie Kim Seales

Dissertations and Theses

The pipeline of college students seeking teaching positions is shrinking. The teacher shortage makes finding and retaining new teachers even more challenging. The cost of replacing existing teachers who leave is tremendous, and new teachers leave the profession at an alarming rate. This dissertation explored the lived experiences of new teachers who recently completed their induction and mentoring program. The study addresses three primary research questions: (1) What are the perceived benefits and deficits of the induction program (2) What (if any) additional support do new teachers need to improve their work experience in our schools? Using a phenomenological research …